Catch Cool Jew

at several upcoming gigs!

I'll be emceeing the Saturday night show at the upcoming Hazon Food Conference - West!

I'll be on hand, helping run the program and moderating as assistant director of Schmooze 2011.

And I'll be in the mix at Limmud NY. Have you always wanted to check it out? Well, if you sign up by Friday, December 24, you’ll get $50 off your registration fee by entering a special “Friends & Family” discount code. Okay, it’s really just my name, Lisa Alcalay Klug. All you have to do is enter it in the “Other Source” box when asked: “How did you hear about Limmud NY?” on page 4 of registration and you’ll automatically save $50. Register now and you might qualify for an additional scholarship.

This annual festival of Jewish diversity, culture, and ideas takes place January 14-17 at the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, NY and it’s packed with Heebsters: Joshua Nelson & the Kosher Gospel Choir, Chana Rothman, Eden “Epryhme” Pearlstein, Naomi Less, Sarah Aroeste, Shir Yaakov Feinstein-Feit, Bodi, Rachel & Matti and more than 300 sessions with leading Jewish thinkers, artists, public figures, educators and activists like writer/moderator Abigail Pogrebin, Jay Michaelson, mystical scholar Avraham Sutton from Jerusalem, Kabbalist DovBer Pinson, Rabbis Simcha Weinstein, David Ingber and a few dozen others, Yaffa Epstein of the Pardes Institute in the Holy City and many others, including me. I’ll be there doing my ‘Cool Jew’ book thang Saturday night. And if you’re coming with some little people, there’s a terrific kid’s program featuring Karina & Coco of 92Y Shababa.

For more info, call 212-908-2525 or email info(at)limmudny.org. Remember, drop my name and register by Friday, December 24, 2010 for your discount to Limmud NY at www.limmudny.org. See you there!

The Latest

Heebsters, Friends and Honoraries,

We've got lots of great news to share! My recent trip to Israel and Limmud Hungary was a wonderful success and so many of you were a part of it. Because of the generous donations to the Friends of Lisa's "Latte Campaign," we quickly met our goal to underwrite the costs of the trip. It was an awesome, heartwarming experience to watch the numbers climb so quickly over a short period of time. Abundant thanks to you all and to the crowd sourcing whiz team at IndieGoGo.com for making this dream a reality. We ♥ you! Not only was Limmud Hungary a fabulous experience--where we shared, celebrated and explored what it means to be Jewish today. But so was the "after-party." We've been invited by a number of Hungarian organizations to join the fabulous festivities that fill the historic Jewish Quarter in Budapest every Chanukah. We’ll keep you posted with more great news ahead. In the meantime, let us know if you’ll be in those parts and/or want to join the street team as the story of the Cool Jew Project continues. We'd love to have you on board!

Limmudarama

It’s hard to believe but since last December, the Cool Jew story--and several other sessions about innovations on the Jewish cultural landscape, tikkun olam and more--have appeared at a whopping seven Limmud conferences: UK, NY, LA, Atlanta, Berlin, Holland and, as you just heard, Budapest. These festivals are filled with learning, sharing, presenting, schmoozing, exploring... and so much more. With that in mind, I couldn’t suddenly go cold turkey in 2011, so next calendar year will bring at least three three Limmuds in a row: Limmud NY in January, Limmud LA in February and this just in, Limmud Winnipeg in March. I’m honored to be part of a first: the maiden voyage of Limmud in Winnipeg. Join us!

The Word Was Spoken

My trip to Israel had so many highlights: presenting at the Conservative Yeshiva, performing at Off The Wall Comedy Basement, appearing on a few radio shows and much more. This week, I broadcast via Facebook my longing for Jerusalem. And then, suddenly, I’m part of a pre-recorded broadcast from Jerusalem. "An Evening of Spoken Word at Avram Cafe" airs in just a couple of hours, starting at 10 pm Israel time, on http://live.106fmj.co.il/ Most of this totally awesome program is in Hebrew, but my autobiographical piece about visiting Poland with my dad, “Shoah Camp 2000,” is the English-language finale. Tune in soon and check it out!

Schmooze By Day/Oyhoo By Night!

Where can you find Achinoam Nini "Noa", The Klezmatics, and Joshua Nelson jamming by night and Ari Roth and other Jewish luminaries schmoozing by day? There's only one place and it's name is Schmooze! January marks my fourth year as part of the team creating the annual Schmooze Conference on Jewish arts and culture in NYC. Join us for this fab gathering of Jewish cultural leaders, artists, curators, critics, agents and more. We're upping the schmooze factor to make this year's gathering more valuable than ever with: SpeedSchmoozing * Artist Showcases * Panels * Cocktail Parties * Discussions * Art Bursts * Presentation of the new IJPA site JewishPresenters.org for Bookings, Tour Info, Networking and More * Gourmet Cultural Pairing Lunch and a host of valuable sessions! Oyhoo launches January 10th at 8 pm and Schmooze at 9 am on January 11th at City Winery, New York City. For additional information and registration, contact info@oyhoo.com.

As always, the eight days of Chanukah are eight great days to share Cool Jew! Pick up copies for your friends, fam and yourself on Amazon here. And check out more our logo gear at the Cool Jew store on Cafe Press. Discounts apply all week--no coupons required.

Wishing you Happy Chanukah blessings of light, love and miracles!

And, of course, a l’chaim in your latke!

Lisa

Twitter: @lisaklug
Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7305188571
http://www.facebook.com/lisaklug

Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe

"It's never been hipper to be Jewish." —VH1

Cool Jew: The Ultimate Guide for Every Member of the Tribe (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $12.99) by award-winning journalist Lisa Alcalay Klug is a field manual for the 21st century Jew and the people who love them. This book decodes contemporary Judaism and its hippest forms of cultural and creative expression. Spanning 250 pages and nearly 400 images, it covers everything from identity, rituals, clothing and cuisine, to holidays, spirituality, diversity, and language. Cool Jew combines original illustrations by artist Amos Goldbaum with historical pieces, album covers, Kabbalistic paintings, pop Judaica and more. Jew got questions? Jew got answers! Imagine an updated combination of the beloved Jewish Catalog meets the Joys of Yiddish with a hip-hop spin that captures the spirit of the times. A hallmark of the current Pan-Jewish cultural revival, Cool Jew does for matzah balls and gefilte fish what The Official Preppy Handbook did for plaid and polo, only with much more chutzpah!

In the quest for identity and meaning, Cool Jew celebrates every aspect of who you are. Whether you are a strongly identified Jew, more Jew-ISH, an Honorary Heeb, an ally, or a deprived Midwesterner who has never actually met a live one, this collection provides all you need to know to Super Jew your own lovely Heeb self, celebrate the Mosaic lifestyle, and befriend the Jewish people. Packed with sites, tunes, eats and treats, it's also the perfect gift for the high holidays, bar and bat mitzvahs, Chanukah, Purim or any time of year to get your groove on and discover new meaning in the old adage, "When you're in love, the whole world is Jewish!"

As the Kluggerebbie would say, "A l'chaim in your punim!"